University of Twente Student Theses
As of Friday, 8 August 2025, the current Student Theses repository is no longer available for thesis uploads. A new Student Theses repository will be available starting Friday, 15 August 2025.
Exploring Gender Disparities in Global Cancer Trends : The Role of Socioeconomic Status
Vlaardingen, J.R.G. van (2024) Exploring Gender Disparities in Global Cancer Trends : The Role of Socioeconomic Status.
PDF
3MB |
Abstract: | Past cancer research prioritizes the global health impact of the disease, yet often overlooks gender differences. Current trends focus on the etiology with gender treated as an associated variable, thereby missing critical insights into how cancer incidence and mortality differ by gender, particularly across varying socioeconomic status. Socioeconomic status (SES) influences cancer trends, but the interaction between SES and gender disparities in cancer remains underexplored. This study aims to address this knowledge gap, providing a global overview of gender-based differences in cancer incidence and mortality. Method data on cancer incidence from the CI5-XII database was obtained from the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC). 63 cancer types were grouped into 12 categories for further analysis, excluding sex-specific cancers. The Human Development Index (HDI) and Gender Inequality Index (GII) were used to assess a country’s SES. Multivariable regression models explored the relation between SES and gender disparities worldwide with the male-to-female ratio (MFR) for incidence or mortality as the outcome variable. Results High gender disparities are found in European countries mostly, particularly in men, respectively followed by African and Asian countries. This disparity is reflected in mortality rates, where Europe consistently records higher rates of gender-specific cancers compared to Asian and African countries for men, and American and Australian countries for women. In most cancers higher HDI or GII means lower MFR. Conclusion This study highlights global gender disparities in cancer trends with variation across countries. More developed countries, with high HDI, show narrower gender gaps. On the other hand, less developed countries scoring higher on inequality leads to reduced disparity as well. Clinicians and policymakers should focus on targeted healthpromoting behaviors among high SES men, raising awareness of cancer risks among less educated and prioritizing screening programs for low SES women. |
Item Type: | Essay (Master) |
Faculty: | TNW: Science and Technology |
Subject: | 44 medicine, 70 social sciences in general |
Programme: | Health Sciences MSc (66851) |
Link to this item: | https://purl.utwente.nl/essays/101667 |
Export this item as: | BibTeX EndNote HTML Citation Reference Manager |
Repository Staff Only: item control page